Useful Wo

and Pump
Efficiency

Useful work from a pump

The physicist James Watt is honored in the electrical community for the
term ‘watt’. He made various advancements and improvements to
stationary boilers and steam engines. It is said that the first practical use
of the steam engine was in raising (call it pumping) water out of the
coalmines. Almost all mines would flood if the water were not pumped
from the bilge, out of the mine. Before the steam engine, the miners
used children and horses to lift and carry the bilge water.
James Watt developed the terms of energy, work, and power. He
defined the following:
Energy is the capacity to perform work. Example; I have the energy
in my bicep muscle to lift a 100-pound weight.
Work is a force multiplied over a distance. Example: If I lift a 5-
pound weight one foot into the air, then I’ve performed 5 foot-
pounds of work.
Power is work performed within a certain specified time frame.
Power is when I perform 5 foot-pounds of work within a second, or
minute.
Many people conhse these terms, but they actually have precise
definitions. If I should lift 10 pounds a distance of 10 feet, then I’ve
performed 100-foot-pounds of work (10 pounds x 10 feet = 100).
Before the steam engine, the most powerhl force to perform work, or
exert a force, was a horse.
James Watt, with actual tests, determined that a coal mine draft horse
could lift 550 pounds, a distance of one foot, within a second. So,
James Watt declared 550 foot-lbs/sec. to be one Horsepower. To this
day, this has become the standard definition of a horsepower (1 HI’ =

n 44
 Useful Work and Pump Efficiency

/- /-

~ 10 Pounds
I

I I
I

I
Feet
I

-c+
I
I I

10 Pounds

Figure 5-1 ~~ ~~~~

550 fi.-lbs./sec.). This is the reason that even today, all motors,
whether steam, internal combustion engines, boilers, electric motors,
gas turbines, and even jet and rocket engines are rated in Horsepower,
and not Ostrich power or Iguana power.
We say that the motor generates horsepower (HP), and that the pump
consumes brake horsepower (BHp). The difference between H P
(output) and BHp (input) is what is lost in the power transmission; the
bearings, shaft, and coupling between the motor and the pump.
We say that the usehl work of the pump is called Water horsepower
(WHP). It is demonstrated mathematkall; as:
H x Q x sp.gr.
WHp =
3960
Where: H = head in feet generated by the pump Q = flow recorded
in gallons per minute sp. gr. = specific gravity
3960 = constant to convert BHp into gallons per minute
Horsepower x 60 sea. / min.
3960 =
Weight of 1 gal. of water
550 lbs. ft / sea. x 60 sea.
3960 =
8.333 lbs. / gal.
If the pump were 100%efficient, then the BHp would be equal to the
WHp. However, the pump is not 100%efficient so the BHp = WHp x
efficiency, and the formula is:

H x Q x sp.gr.
BHp =
3960 x eff.

45 F1
Know and Understand Centrifugal Pumps

Fiaure 5-2

The graph (Figure 5-2) shows the useful work of a pump. Notice that
the pump pumps a combination of head and flow. As a general rule, as
flow increases, the head decreases.

Example :
Given: Pressure or Head required = 100 feet at 200 gpm. What is the
water horsepower required for this pump? Assume a sp. gr. of 1.O

- -x Q - 100 fi. x 200 gpm

wHp= H = 5.05 HP
3960 3960
If the specific gravity at pumping temperature were not equal to 1.0,
then the water horsepower would be adjusted by the specific gravity.

H x Q x sp.gr.
WHp =
3960

Flow determination
Flow is the number of gallons per minute that the pump will discharge.
rn Any pump will generate more flow as the discharge pressure is
reduced.
Equally, the pump will generate less flow as the discharge head or
pressure requirements are increased. Obviously, both flow and head
should be known before selecting a centrifugal pump.
 Useful Work and Pump Efficiency

I
It is not practical to declare the flow without the accompanying head requirements.
For this reason, when someone asks for the pump specifications, they need t o know
the flow in gallons per minute and the head in feet.

The available areas in the impeller, and the available area in the
volute determine the flow, gpm. There are two critical areas in the
impeller, the exit area and the entrance area. For the volute casing,
the most important area is the ‘cutwater’. All fluid must pass this
point.
Head or pressure is developed in the pump; when the impeller
imparts rotational energy to the liquid (increasing the liquid’s
velocity), and then the volute converts this energy (by decreasing
the velocity) into pressure.
The relationship between the ‘exit area’ of the impeller, and the
‘cutwater area’ of the volute, generally determine the flow of the
pump.
See the illustration below (Figure 5-3):

ROTATION

Figure 5-3
~~~ ~ ~~

I &47 F1
 Know and Understand Centrifugal Pumps

~
Pump efficiency
~~~ ~

Numerous factors affect the pump’s efficiency. The impeller is one of

the most important efficiency factors.
Affecting the impeller’s behavior are:
1. The impeller velocity.
2. The impeller diameter.
3. The number of blades on the impeller.
4. The diameter of the eye of the impeller.
5 . The thickness of the impeller.
6. The pitch (angle) of the blades.

Factors that affect the efficiency

1. Surface finish of internal surfaces - Efficiency increases from better
surface finishes are mostly attributable to the specific speed Ns
(discussed in Chapter 6) of the pump. Generally, the improvements
in surface finishes are economically justifiable in pumps with low
specific speeds.
2. Wear ring tolerance - Close tolerances on the wear rings have a
tremendous effect on the pump’s efficiency, particularly for pumps
with a low specific speed (Ns < 1500).
3 . Mechanical losses - Bearings, lip seals, mechanical seals, packings,
etc., all consume energy and reduce the pump’s efficiency. Small
pumps (less than 15 HP) are particularly susceptible.
4. Impeller diameter - There will be an efficiency reduction with a
reduction in the impeller diameter. For this reason, it’s not
recommended to reduce (trim) the impeller by more than 20%. For
example, if a pump takes a full sized 10-inch impeller, don’t trim the
impeller to less than 8-inches diameter. This would be a 20%
reduction.
5. Viscosity - Viscous liquids generally have a prejudicial effect on
efficiency. As the viscosity of the fluid goes up, generally the
efficiency of most pumps goes down. There are exceptions.
6. Size of solid particles - Low solids concentrations (less than 10%
average) classified by size and material, generally exhibit no adverse
affect to pump efficiency. However, the discharge configuration of
the pump must be sufficiently large to prevent obstructions. For
example, sanitary and wastewater pumps that handle high solids,

n 48
 Useful Work and Pump Efficiency

have 2 or 3 blades on a specially designed impeller with lower

efficiency.
7. The type of pump - There arc many types of pumps with
configurations and characteristics for special services, such as
sanitary, wastewater, and solids handling, etc., taking into account
the Ns and design that perform their services effectively with a
slightly less than optimum efficiency. In simple terms, special
designs and services generally reduce efficiencies.

Efficiency = Work Output = Power Produced

Work Input

-=
Pump Efficiency = Water Horsepower - I>
Brake Horsepower BHp

H x Q x sp. gr.
Pump Efficiency =
3960 x BHp

Coupling Efficiency = Pump Horsepower -- BHp

Motor Horsepower Hp

Motor Efficiency = Motor Horsepower Output -

- Hp
Energy / Power Input Kw

H x Q x sp. gr.
BHp =
3960 x eff.

ELECTRIC
ENERGY IN

~
Figure~.
5-4

49 FI
Know and Understand Centrifugal Pumps

Calculating~-~~
pump ~-
efficiency
Example
A system requires 2,500 gpm flow of brine (salt water with sp. gr. of
1.07) at 120 psi., 213 BHp required.

Calculate Head

Head =
si x 2.31 - 120 psi x 2.31 = 259.06 Feet
SP. gr. 1.07

Ca IcuI ate E f icie ncy:

Efficiency =
H x Q x sp. gr. --259 f't. x 2500 gpm x 1.07 sp. gr.= 82%
3960 x BHp. 3960 x 213 BHp
This pump is 82%Efficient.